only slightly smaller than Fidel Castro's.
Dr. Krause, who came from East Germany
a generation ago, tells me she's appalled by the
widespread ignorance of Cubans in sexual
matters and especially by a new survey among
teenagers. The girls insisted male promiscuity
is a natural attribute. The boys said it's neces
sary, or they'll get sick.
That's the tradition, she says, in all
social levels, nationwide, and it's deplorable.
"When a boy is 15 or 16, his father wants to
hear of his sexual exploits, as proof of his man
liness. If the boy says he's been going with a
girl for three months, the father will say,
'What, only one, you have to have more, you
must practice a lot.' " And the boy's mother
will agree. At the same time, boys are expected
to watch over their sisters; they must be pure.
"But when the girls get away from the family,
what happens? In those boarding schools,
where hundreds of thousands of teenagers
pick citrus three hours a day? At night, when
the teachers think they're in bed, they're really
out there in the orchards."
Also part of the tradition, she says, is that a
woman must please her man no matter what
even now when more than half of Cuban pro
fessionals are women, when most women go to
work. "What happens? A woman is in militia
Lights and television bring the modern
world to a Taino Indian legacy, a bohio
made of wood and royal palm fronds,
outside the town of Baracoa.